BUILDING BRIDGES

Texas City ISD seniors find purpose in serving elders

On a quiet Thursday morning at the Nessler Center, the room buzzed with laughter, chatter and the sound of Bingo balls being called out. But the callers weren’t staff members or longtime volunteers — they were high school seniors from Texas City ISD’s Woodrow Wilson DAEP and they’re changing perceptions one visit at a time.

The “Seniors Helping Seniors” program, launched in September 2024, brought together two very different groups: high school seniors nearing adulthood and senior citizens in the twilight of their lives. Every other week, students from the DAEP campus visited the city-sponsored Nessler Center Seniors Program to play games, serve food and engage in conversation with older adults. What started as a simple idea grew into something much more powerful — an experience built on mutual respect, service and connection.

Nathan Jackson, Director of Student Outreach and Intervention for Texas City ISD, created the program after witnessing something unexpected during a campus visit.

“When visiting the DAEP Campus some years back, I noticed the respect the students gave to an elderly substitute hall monitor,” Jackson said. “Instead of ignoring her requests, they all followed them immediately. Her presence brought out the softer and more gentle compliant side of our students.”

Jackson wanted to create more chances for students to show that softer, more respectful side. With that goal in mind, he launched Seniors Helping Seniors at the start of the 2024–2025 school year. He scheduled the visits around Bingo Days at the Nessler Center because the activity encourages interaction and provides many opportunities for students to help out.

“Our students assist with all aspects of the bingo games,” Jackson said. “They assist elderly partners with card distribution and engage them in conversations while playing the rounds of bingo games. Sometimes our students lead the bingo sessions by calling out the numbers and letters from the electronic Bingo machine.”

Students also serve coffee, donuts and lunch during the visits. But the heart of the program lies in the conversations — moments where students and seniors share stories, memories and laughter.

The program creates a rare chance for high school seniors — many of whom came to DAEP due to behavior issues — to interact in a positive, meaningful way with members of the community.

“I just thought it would be neat to connect high school seniors who were on the cusp of beginning life as adults with senior citizens who are in the twilight of life and have lived adult lives for many years,” Jackson said. “The high school seniors respect and gain valuable knowledge from senior citizens while the senior citizens reflect on their youthful days and reminisce on good times from years past through our students.”

The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Seniors at the Nessler Center now ask about the students by name. They look forward to the visits and often share stories from their younger days. On the other side, students talk about the experience when they return to campus. Many ask to go again.

Jackson rewards students who volunteer by recognizing them publicly. Their photos go up on a wall at the DAEP campus and Jackson calls parents to share the good news.

“Both students and parents feel a sense of pride after program participation,” he said. “It serves as a great way for the student’s DAEP-related mistakes to take a back seat to the student’s positive actions moving forward.”

That recognition helps change the narrative for students at DAEP, a program designed to help students get back on track. Volunteering at the Nessler Center gives them a sense of purpose and shows them how their actions can affect others.

Students make visits every other week, depending on enrollment at DAEP. Jackson said the schedule sometimes pauses when there are no senior students on campus, which led him to consider adding students from Inspire Academy next year to keep the program going year-round.

Jackson also has plans for a donation drive at DAEP. The goal is to collect small prizes that the senior citizens can win during Bingo games. That effort would help the Nessler Center continue offering fun, meaningful activities during the visits.

Even though the program is less than a year old, Jackson believes it has already made a deep impact — both for the high school students and the older adults they serve.

“The senior citizens love it,” he said. “And so do the students.”

He added that by creating a space where young people and elders connect, the program offers more than just volunteer hours or entertainment. It fosters empathy, encourages growth and builds community across generations. It gives high school seniors a chance to rewrite their stories and gives senior citizens a reason to smile.

Jackson plans to continue Seniors Helping Seniors into the next school year, expanding its reach and deepening its roots in the community. And if the laughter and smiles at the Nessler Center were any sign, this is a program with a long future ahead.

“My hope is that as high school seniors, they will leave school more in tune with a side of themselves that will help them be most successful in society,” he said.